‘SNL’ Scorecard: Benedict Cumberbatch Wonders Why He’s Hot

Benedict Cumberbatch’s turn as SNL host was kind of an odd show: it felt like almost-nervous election jitters mixed with the impulse to have Cumberbatch do silly things. It was a show desperately trying to be Just Another Show, when it wasn’t just any old other show. And that’s not a knock against SNL. Their job is to try and make us laugh, even when no one is really in the mood to laugh right at this particular moment. Maybe that’s why it was so nice to see Church Lady? Those catchphrases are so ingrained now that they stopped being funny a long time ago, but there was something comforting about it. It was comedy comfort food, which right now tastes pretty darn good.

Here’s today’s Scorecard:

Sketch of the Night

“Meeting with Mr. Shaw” Look, this was a show without a clear “best sketch” and, whatever, this kind of absolute lunacy was what I was in the mood for. Yes, I was in the mood to watch people talk to a giant bird statue dressed in a suit. These are strange times. And this is a strange sketch. I do love that Mr. Shaw wears a nice suit. Maybe I’d like my own Mr. Shaw to wheel around my apartment so I can make my guests speak to it like it’s real? Maybe I’d like to talk to Mr. Shaw. Maybe Mr. Shaw truly has all the answers we are looking for. We’ll never know, but we do have this sketch. Or, at least, I have this sketch.